Something I am working with, now that we have 4K and 8k available on video camcorders, is the clarity that is starting to become available in video codecs that we could call “almost-consumer”. In particular, the advent of Apple ProRes RAW in 4K format. Of course, we Nikon users have been into the raw format for many years. I couldn’t imagine any other way to go. Up until now, uncompressed raw in video usually meant all kinds of proxies and a laborious workflow, which never interested me.
ProRes is not new; it has been an industry standard for years and it comes in various flavors. But the recent release by Apple of ProRes RAW, with great image fidelity but in smaller (proxy-size) codecs, is news. These are file sizes that will run on virtually any reasonable-sized laptop or equivalent, and they are not much larger in file size than the standard ProRes 422.
And the compression artifacts are almost entirely absent in ProRes RAW and virtually absent from ProRes RAW HQ. Artifacts, if present, appear as a slight softening of the image, but no banding, etc., provided proper lighting is used.
To check this out for myself, I picked up a used Sony PXW-FS5 camcorder, which can record HD 10-bit 422 XAVC-L (at 50 mbps) and UHD 420 4K (but only in 8-bits) internally. The XAVC-L codec is not intra-frame (records each entire frame), but rather inter-frame (records an entire frame ever so many frames, but fills in the differences on the intervening frames). This keeps the file size small.
However, the Sony FS5 is capable of recording raw, if it is exported to an external recorder. There are a couple on the market that are popular. The one I am using is the Atomos Shogun Inferno, which can record Apple ProRes RAW (and ProRes RAW HQ) 12bit directly from the Sony FS5. For example, a 1TB SSD will hold three hours of ProRes RAW (two hours of HQ). How does all this relate to Nikon?
For me, I can use virtually any of my Nikon F-Lenses on the Sony FS5 and they look great, certainly better (IMO) than the Sony glass I have around. And best of all, most of my F-mount lenses are fast and one thing that ProRes RAW relishes is light. I wonder who else here is experimenting with Nikon lenses and the Sony FS5?
And there is one more point that I find interesting and that is a feature called the “Clear-Image Zoom” on the FS5. We have all seen digital zooms, so I can see the eyes rolling as you read this. However, the “Clear Image Zoom” on the Sony FS5 is amazing clear, such that it is almost impossible to tell it from the built-in Sony optical zoom in quality. I never use the “Clear Image Zoom” on Sony Lenses, but what is wonderful is that it is very useful on non-native lenses, of which I have many. I can mount a very fast Nikon F-Mount prime (Like the Zeiss Otus lenses) on the SF5 and take advantage of their speed/clarity and also get about a 2x clear digital zoom as if they were actually zoom lenses rather than primes. You can turn this feature on or off. I thought some readers might find that interesting.
Sachtler Tripod Legs
Miller Fluid Head
Sony FS5 Camcorder (with raw upgrade)
Rode Shotgun Mic
Atomos Shogun Inferno (external recorder)
Angelbird 1 TB SSD
Edelkrone Focus Pull
BNC Cable
